Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 1421 S HANFORD ST S / Parcel ID 3678900370 / Inv #

In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance.

Built in 1927, this residence was owned by Louis O. Peuz. The contractor was H. Weiser. The building was occupied by Joseph E. Favre by 1940, followed by Raymond E. Johnson by 1943, and Ah Lung Woo by 1955 through 1968.
The Chinese were the first group to come to the Northwest. They were recruited to work on railroad construction and in logging camps and canneries starting in the 1860s. During the 1920s and 1930s, Chinese-Americans began to move to areas like Beacon Hill and the Central Area from their initial settlement of Chinatown. Asian families were interested in living in residential neighborhoods, and Beacon Hill was affordable and close to their core area on the southeast edge of downtown. Beacon Hill did not have restrictive covenants found in more exclusive neighborhoods like Mount Baker, which precluded Asians and other minorities from purchasing homes in the area.
About seven Chinese families lived on Beacon Hill during the 1930s, including six Lew families and the Ng family. Many first-generation Chinese women worked in the garment or laundry businesses, including North Rainier Valley operations such as Black Bear Manufacturing Company.
During the internment of the Japanese during World War II, some Chinese-Americans moved to the Beacon Hill area to take over businesses left by the Japanese-Americans. The Asian population and number of Asian-owned businesses on the hill have continued to increase during the last fifty years. Today, there are more Asian Americans than any other single racial/ethnic group on Beacon Hill.
The percentage of Chinese students at Beacon Hill Elementary increased from none in 1910 and less than 1% in 1920 to 22.5% in 1964. Today the combined Asian percentage of students at Beacon Hill Elementary is 50.2%.
Beacon Hill is a long north-south tending ridge located southeast of downtown Seattle and stands 350 feet at its highest point. The hill’s steep topography deterred substantial Euro-American settlement through the early 1880s. Then, development of the area was stimulated by the introduction of streetcar lines in the 1890s, its proximity to Seattle’s main industrial area to the west, and the regrading of the hill’s north end in the early 1900s.
Originally acquired by the City in 1898, Jefferson Park was integrated into Seattle’s Olmsted system of parks, and the Olmsted Brothers prepared a plan for the park in 1912. The first public golf course west of the Mississippi opened at Jefferson Park in 1915. Jefferson Park has exerted a profound positive influence on the development of the Beacon Hill neighborhood.
Because of its proximity to the International District, Japanese and Chinese families moved to Beacon Hill starting in the 1920s. World War I and II stimulated a surge in housing development associated with wartime industry. The construction of Interstate 5 in the 1960s and Interstate 90 in the 1980s sliced through the neighborhoods and contributed to Beacon Hill’s relative isolation. Today, Beacon Hill is an ethnically diverse working class community, which has a mixed Asian, Chicano, African American, and Caucasian population.

Appearance

Built in 1927, this Tudor Revival style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented to South Hanford Street on a sloping site 4’ above street level. This 1164 square foot, one-and-a-half story house with a full basement features an irregular plan, measuring approximately 36’ by 29’, with a small front stoop. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, brick-clad superstructure. Asphalt composition roofing covers the cross, clipped gable roof. Nearly flush closed eaves and gables with prominent rake trim and cornice returns define the roofline. Wood sash 1:1 windows with leaded upper panes provide day lighting. A small stoop with a metal railing sheltered by a gable roof with flared eaves provides access to the building. Decorative brackets carry the stoop roof. A gable end exterior brick chimney services the building. An integrated, partially below-grade garage provides off street parking.

Detail for 1421 S HANFORD ST S / Parcel ID 3678900370 / Inv #

Status:

Yes - Inventory

Classication:

Building

District Status:

Cladding(s):

Brick

Foundation(s):

Concrete - Poured

Roof Type(s):

Gable - Clipped

Roof Material(s):

Building Type:

Domestic - Single Family

Plan:

Irregular

Structural System:

Balloon Frame/Platform Frame

No. of Stories:

one & ½

Unit Theme(s):

Integrity

Changes to Original Cladding:

Intact

Changes to Plan:

Intact

Changes to Windows:

Intact

Major Bibliographic References

City of Seattle DCLU Microfilm Records.

King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.